Players sat back in folding chairs and chilled out, satisfied after a job well done. There were jokes and stories told and general laughter from all corners. The postgame meal was fish, chicken and vegetables, hearty food after a hearty win for a team that, despite its inconsistencies, is now figuring out ways to come out on top.

Moments earlier, those players had just put the finishing touches on a 105-102 win over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. By many accounts from those in the Denver organization, it was the biggest road win of the season.

By everyone's account, the magnitude of this win was easy to measure: H-U-G-E.

"It was huge," Arron Afflalo said. "Play a team back-to-back, to get their best shot on their home court — Houston's a good team with some fiery players. It was an overall good game and I'm happy we're now able to have a two-game lead on them."

And that was the point.

The Nuggets could have unraveled everything they accomplished in their win over Houston on Sunday if they would have lost Monday. Monday was the money game, the contest for all of the tiebreaking marbles.

And they did it. The Nuggets got the back-to-back sweep, a 3-1 season series win, and mounds of confidence going into the stretch run.

The Nuggets moved into the sixth playoff spot in the West, thanks to the Mavericks losing to the Jazz in triple overtime.

"Can we get Dallas?" Nuggets coach George Karl openly wondered.

Why not?

The hard-charging Nuggets have won four of their last five games. A few days ago the conversation centered on doing enough just to make the playoffs. Now? Playoff positioning is heaviest on the Nuggets' minds.

"We needed this win," said Corey Brewer, who scored all 11 of his points Monday in the fourth quarter. "Seventh spot? Sixth spot? You never know where we could end up, but every win counts."

Afflalo and Ty Lawson were brilliant, combining to score 51 points on 19-of-31 shooting. Andre Miller added a season-high 13 assists as the Nuggets made nearly every critical play in the fourth quarter.

Lawson's layup with 2:52 left put the Nuggets up 97-96. After two Houston free throws, the Nuggets scored four straight to take a 101-98 lead with 1:19 remaining.

The teams traded baskets until Houston forward Luis Scola missed a runner in the lane and the ball pinballed around, last touched by the Rockets with 4.6 seconds left. The Nuggets (34-27) had the lead and the ball.

Afflalo was fouled and made one of two, leaving the door open for a Houston 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. But the Rockets, who were 8-of-28 at that point from the arc, couldn't convert. Chandler Parsons' attempt glanced off the front of the rim as time expired.

"We don't win anything tonight," Karl said. "But it puts us in position where if we take care of home court ... as I told them. 'Let's don't give it back, let's get better, build some confidence and see where we can go before the playoffs.' "

Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed

Only one Nuggets backup — center JaVale McGee — scored in the first half. He had seven points. But by the end of the game, the Nuggets' bench had outscored Houston's 39-23. ... Andre Miller had 13 assists. It was the third consecutive game and fourth in six games that he has been in double digits in assists.

Nuggets center JaVale McGee looks for a way to score in the first half Monday night in Houston against the Rockets' Patrick Patterson. McGee finished with nine points and three rebounds off the bench. (Pat Sullivan, The Associated Press)

Final thought

An enormous victory for the Nuggets, who showed a lot of moxie in Houston.

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